UNICEF Serbia and the civil society organisation Centre for Education Policy with the support of the Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development Republic of Serbia implemented the project “Combating Early School Leaving in Serbia”.

This project aimed to contribute to decreasing drop-out and early school leaving of children and adolescents through development, establishment, and implementation of the school-based model for early identification of children at risk of dropping out and intervention in situations where dropping-out is taking place.

Combating drop-out and ESL in Serbia has been recognised as a policy priority area. The Strategy for Education Development in Serbia 2020 (SEDS 2020) calls for the provision of high-quality education for all, an increase of students’ coverage and attainment at all levels of education by maintaining the relevance of education and increasing efficiency. The Strategy implementation is primarily focused on the development of human capital in Serbia, thus underlines importance of the inclusion of pupils from vulnerable and marginalised groups (Roma and children from poor families, children with disabilities and from rural areas etc.).

The CroCooS - Prevent dropout! project was developed in the framework of the EC proposal "Implementation of the European strategic objectives in education and training" under the Lifelong Learning Programme to support innovative policy solutions to reduce and prevent early leaving from education and training (ELET). The main aim of the CroCooS project, which was implement between 2014 and 17, was to contribute to the development of an institutional early warning system (EWS) for preventing early leaving from education and training. It also tested its applicability with national pilots focusing on contextual factors affecting the evaluation. Regional needs addressed included: sensitizing the staff of each school on the need to address the problem of dropout; actively involving teachers in monitoring students and working with them; developing better relationships between students and teachers; strengthening pupils' sense of belonging to the class and the school; developing relationships of trust by being supportive and ensuring a safe school climate.

The Danish Production schools were created in the 1980s with the aim of combating youth unemployment. Production Schools offer alternative education opportunities to improve labour market integration. The fundamental aim of this type of school is to create a practical learning environment to support young people to complete and earn qualifications in general and vocational upper secondary education and/or maintain a job. The students are offered the opportunity to develop professional, social and personal skills through counselling, participation in practical work experience and production in different workshops ranging from areas such as metalwork, carpentry and textile work in theatre, media and music-based workshops. The focus is on social, personal and physical skills which are complemented by more formal knowledge and skills. Learning processes are organised through workshops and classroom teaching, but every young person is free to organise an individual course where they may challenge themselves and build their confidence.The most significant challenge for production schools is to prepare and motivate “non-academic” students for the ordinary school system. The last legislative change in 2006focused the aims of Production Schools so that its most important task has been to build a bridge to vocational education and training through relevant practical and academic qualifications. In 2009, there were over 6,000 students in production schools. The student capacity at each school can vary from 20-25 to over 200. Generally speaking the schools are small, with half of the schools accepting fewer than 50 students. Today there are 78 Production Schools in Denmark.

The project goal is to provide a comprehensive analysis of best practices for preventing ESL in partner countries in the areas: of ESL monitoring systems; and, methods of counteracting ESL and reintegrating students.

Project partners were from Poland, the UK and Italy. Outputs include a report on ESL monitoring systems, a report on prevention and reintegration methods, and a training pack.

Essunga, a Swedish municipality, transformed the ranking of its schools from the bottom to the top of the national school league tables between 2007 to the top in 2010. Essunga has three elementary schools and one lower secondary school (grades 6-9). With 5,500 citizens, it is one of the smallest municipalities in the country. The increase in levels of achievement is attributed to a research-based approach of inclusive education. For years, the three elementary schools in Essunga had consistently experienced low educational levels. An increasing number of students were refugees or in “family placements”. In 2007, only 76% of students were eligible for upper secondary school and 20% of these were placed in special education classes. These results compelled political and school leaders and school staff to identify targeted measures to address these challenges. The municipality focused on interventions at school and in the local community to prevent school absence and increase attendance.

Guiding Cities joins policy makers and education stakeholders to map policy and guidance and create coherent policy to respond to the complex needs in the fight against ESL.

The project aimed to:• Analyse guidance actions in 4 countries through country-based focus groups including stakeholders in education and guidance.• Develop a Guiding Cities Model and Checklist mapping different possible actions, actors community needs relative to guidance and lifelong learning.• Establish and manage Working Groups and a survey of best practices (involving at least 40 stakeholders).• Publish online the GCities Model and links to resources and practices for each type of action and/or each target group. The GCities tools will be available in 6 languages (EN, ES, CAT, IT, EL, RO).• Test the GCities Model and Checklist-benchmarking tools with at least 40 communities or organisations.• Improve professional development of local service providers and school guidance practitioners.

This project is aims to fight against school dropout by addressing risk factors including:• behavioural problems (discipline, violence ... ) • integration problems• learning problems• low motivation • low self-esteem • a lack of ambitionIt is also important the student have a positive experience of school

 This project has two components:

1.) In "volet 1" students work collaboratively on a cross thematic directly related to the project. The aim is to restore and develop the pleasure of learning through informal activities.2.) In "Volet 2" partner institutions (management, nursing service , teachers ... ) devoted to educational activities and educational research work together to produce a toolbox on prevention of ESL which can be adapted to local context. The focus is on prevention of conflicts, fight against discrimination, peer mediation, individual tutoring, class or group projects.

The Joaquim Ruyra Elementary School is located in a disadvantaged suburban district of Barcelona. In the 2016-2017 school year, 92% students were immigrants representing 28 different nationalities (including Pakistan, Morocco, Georgia, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Peru, the Philippines, China, Bangladesh, Senegal, and the USA) or from minority background (Romani). The school has a 40% mobility rate.

National and international press have referred to the school as the miracle school as it had achieved academic outcomes above the average in the Catalan standardised tests, outperforming elite schools in the Catalonia region.

All classes in the school feature group work 40% to 60% of the time. The groups mix students of different abilities, genders and nationalities. The small groups are designed to ensure that no one is left out, and students are encouraged to participate actively. Each group is facilitated by an adult (e.g. a classroom assistants, a parent). Psychologists and special education teachers may also work in the classrooms, and they support volunteer parents, teachers and the students. The extra support and student interaction are considered as essential for supporting and reinforcing children’s learning.